Positioning your website for the future ... or not

JASON THERRIEN
Jason Therrien is the president of thunder::tech, an integrated marketing agency. He has more than 10 years of experience in the technology and marketing industry.

There are 7 billion people on Earth. The Mobile Marketing Association of Asia says that of those 7 billion, 6 billion own a cell phone—1.8 billion more than the amount of people who own a toothbrush. Clearly, mobile technology has taken over our world and is here to stay. This new, faster-paced world has forces us to evolve to a new kind of cell phone: the smartphone. In addition to making phone calls, this device helps us text, entertain ourselves, surf the Web and, more and more, make purchase decisions.Websites are often the place where customers first interact with a brand. You could think of your website as the OPEN sign in the front window of your storefront.With this in mind, I worked with my team to conduct an investigative study on how the top companies in the country are positioning their websites to engage with consumers in the mobile space. The results were surprising. Mobile Design vs. Responsive

Before diving into the results, we need to differentiate between mobile-optimized design and responsive design.Mobile-optimized refers to a website that has been designed specifically to fit the viewing area of a mobile device. This mobile-optimized site is served up instead of a company's usual (desktop monitor-size) website when viewed on a mobile device. In other words, the company must maintain two separate websites.A responsive website refers to a single website that adapts automatically to fit the viewing area of whatever device is being used allowing for optimal viewing on desktop, tablet, smartphone and even new types of devices as they come to market. Responsive design is a more cost-effective solution to support both existing and unreleased hardware. It is important to note that mobile-optimized and responsive websites are different from mobile apps, which are small, self-contained programs that reside on a mobile device.The new trend of consumers relying on their smartphones to aid them in purchase decisions can be beneficial for a company, but it can also be harmful to them if they are unprepared. Business Insider found that 61% of people surveyed said that if they tried to access a website on their mobile device but couldn't because it wasn't optimized for mobile, they would visit the website of a competitor.How the Big Guys Fared

To discover how top companies are using mobile optimization, we took a look at the top companies as listed nationally by Fortune Magazine and Inc. Magazine, and locally by Crain's Cleveland Business and determined how many of them have mobile-optimized websites or responsively designed sites.The results were surprising, to say the least. Our statistics show that 76% of top companies reviewed have not yet noticed the importance of and need for mobile optimization in today's world. Also important, though not as surprising, is the small number of these companies that have taken the extra step past mobile optimization and made their websites responsive. A total of 96% of these companies do not have responsive-designed websites. How Should YOU Respond?So, if the majority of the top companies in the country aren't currently embracing mobile-optimized and/or responsive designed websites, why should you? The real question is this: Do you want to be ahead of the curve or behind the eight ball?Your customers are adopting new technology and new devices every day, and with the purchase of these products come new expectations and demands. Customers take it for granted that they can use their device to compare prices, gather information, shop and complete a hundred other tasks. The research proves that customers expect today's businesses to cater to their need of simplified and easy-to-access information on all their devices. Considering this, you may want to re-evaluate how your company uses mobile optimization and responsive design in your marketing strategy before your competition beats you to it.It's not a matter of IF your customers will demand the ability interact with your online presence through their mobile device—it's a matter of WHEN. And when that time comes, make sure your front door is open, inviting and ready for business.

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